TSI Literary and Informational Texts 3

Question 1

Which sentence best states the main idea of a paragraph that describes recycling rates, landfill growth, and ocean pollution?

Accepted Answer

Waste management has become a pressing environmental concern

Answer

The unifying idea connecting all the details is the broader problem of waste management.

Question 2

An author writes, "The old house wore its peeling paint like a tattered coat." This figurative language is best classified as a:

Accepted Answer

Simile

Answer

The comparison uses 'like,' making it a simile.

Question 3

A persuasive editorial cites a respected scientist's findings to support its claim. This appeals primarily to the reader's sense of:

Accepted Answer

Credibility and authority (ethos)

Answer

Quoting a respected expert builds credibility, which is an appeal to ethos.

Question 4

In context, the word "novel" in "the engineers proposed a novel solution" most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

New or original

Answer

Here 'novel' is an adjective meaning new or original, not the noun for a book.

Question 5

A story's events take place during a brutal famine that shapes every character's choices. The famine functions as the story's:

Accepted Answer

Setting and source of conflict

Answer

The famine establishes the setting and drives the central conflict of the story.

TSI Practice Test